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Gaelic (Scottish), Gaelic (Irish)
I would love to see these forms of Gaelic appear on Duolingo, as they are being recognized as languages of Scotland and Ireland. With Universities pushing the Gaelic language more, and Scotland having such a deep rich tie to the Gaelic language; I believe a firm representation of both Irish and Scottish Gaelic needs to happen.
13 Comments
There's already an Irish course. It's the ninth most popular course on Duo, with 3.36 million learners.
You mentioned Irish in your original post. I did not mention Scots Gaelic in mine.
Also, 'very' different is a bit of an overstatement. Some spoken dialects are mutually intelligible. The written language of one is easy to figure out if you're fluent in the other with a little exposure.
I will have to disagree with you there, mate, but I see your point. As a Scottish lass myself, I would argue that Pól and Pal, pronounced differently, are two different variations of the same word, and used by both countries, respectively. I would not place them together so exclusively, and say the variation is enough for both countries to say there is a Scottish Gaelic and an Irish Gaelic. I would not say the Gaelic on my university sign is Irish, I would say its Scottish Gaelic. Thank you for your take on it. It's a perspective I've not given much thought on, as where I am in Scotland, would see it very differently. Cheers, mate. Hope ye have a great week.
I didn't say they were the same. I just said that certain dialects are mutually intelligible. It's much the same as certain dialects of Swedish and Danish- geographical proximity or lack thereof makes all the difference.
I'm a Derry boy, and I can understand Gaelic speakers from Argyll with a little attention. Put me in front of a Gaelic speaker from much further away and I have trouble.
It's perfectly possible for two languages to be mutually inelligible to varying degrees and still be separate languages.
I didn't say 'with difficulty'. I said 'with a little attention'.
Some are similar, some are not. It's exactly like certain Swedish dialects in the south having an easier time with Danish than those in the north.
An example: you'd say 'Ciamar a tha sibh?' I'd say 'Cad é mar atá sibh?'
Further south and west, they'd say 'Conas taoi?', and mutual intelligibility goes out the window.
I see what you're getting at, mate. I think it is perspective. The Irish I know would say, nae Irish is Irish, and Scottish Gaelic is Scottish Gaelic. The variations derive from location, Highland/lowland culture, historical localisation, and other local competing dialects. Scottish Gaelic in Aberdeen (where I'm from) is less favoured, and Doric is more in the foreground. That colours the perspective of Scottish Gaelic in Aberdeen. What is taught is more of the blanketed Gaelic, rather than any one localisation, and it is seen as Scottish, rather than Irish. At least here. Maybe it does come down to a West coast and East coast dynamic of the representation of Gaelic in communities and the need to understand what Scottish is. The West Coast might see little difference in the two languages, but recognise some degree of slang difference, where the East Coast might not have the same point of view, and just say they are very different. It's a unique perspective, and I'm rather glad to have had these thoughts shared with you and Qiunn. I'll talk about this with my professors and meditate on it further. Cheers.
You can already learn Irish, but I as well would be very interested in a Scottish Gaelic course here on Duolingo :)
To me, "I would love to see these forms of Gaelic appear on Duolingo" sounds like neither one is here. I was just pointing out that you can already learn Irish.
